A Hundred Lives Before
by wyteeth
Summary: A drabble/prompt based story that focuses on various characters (and even OCs) of the Naruto-verse! *May go up in rating for future chapters.
1. Birth

**1-Birth**

 **Pairing: Kakashi/OC**

The two were inseparable since, perhaps, their birth. Kakashi and Rei's mothers have been close friends and surprisingly the two had found themselves going through labor the exact same night as the other.

When Kakashi's mother had died, Rei's family had been there for him.

When Kakashi's father took his own life, Rei had been there for him.

And when Rei's parents died the night of the Kyuubi attack, Kakashi had been there for _her_.

It was no wonder that the two eventually realized their feelings for the other ran deeper than the stereotypical attraction of romance. Their deep bond was forged, seemingly, at birth.

* * *

 _"A Hundred Lives Before" will be a drabble/prompt based story that will have exactly 100 chapters! I'll try to post everyday since these are easy to fill out and quick to do and I know I've been slacking on my other stories so I hope these can fill the time as I'm working on them._

 _If you'd like to request a pairing, please leave it in a review or PM me! I'll be happy to fulfill most if not all Naruto pairings out there, even OCs should you just give me brief details about them!_

 _Thank you all for reading this story and I hope you continue to support my writing!_


	2. Enthusiasm

**2-Enthusiasm**

 **Pairings: Gai/OC**

The Green Beast of Konoha was known for many things: strength, strangeness, and sincerity.

The steady call of "Youth!" can be heard throughout the village and like a siren's call Kiyoko would be drawn to find the green clad man.

For she was the only one who truly knew what kind of _enthusiasm_ Gai held behind closed doors.


	3. Love

**3-Love**

 **Character: Madara (no pairing)**

Uchiha Madara came off as a cruel, uncaring man but for all of his gruffness and tough exterior none would know of the love he is capable of.

The red armored man enjoyed meditation by the koi ponds of his home, would gaze lovingly at the fish he himself groomed and bred. After fierce battles that would taint his body and mind he'd walk through the nearest forest he could find and take solace in the peace of nature.

None would know of the way light fills his eyes when he sees the sunrise as he lay camped in a ditch, preparing for war. Nor would anyone know the contentment he feels basking in the sun after a week of fighting in wet, stormy weather.

Uchiha Madara was also an excellent swimmer despite his inherent prowess for fire based jutsu. He loved the way he felt weightless in the water and for a brief moment he could imagine that the burden of clan head, protector and prosecutor, would disappear and he himself become an insignificant speck in the vastness of the sea.

Nobody would believe in this side of Uchiha Madara anyways should it be exposed. None believed the man that led the Sharingan users to even be capable of any type of love. It is this belief that has made him a mystery, an idol, _inhuman_.


	4. Hate

**4-Hate**

 **Character: Sakura**

Low expectations marked her since the beginning. No one thought much of Haruno Sakura and most expected her to amount to little, even if she did become a kunoichi.

She hated their condescending looks when she'd told them she wanted to become a ninja.

She hated it when Sasuke ignored her and Ino became an enemy instead of a once-loved friend.

She hated it when she was left alone in the village; Naruto off with Jiraiya, Sasuke with Orochimaru, and Kakashi throwing his life away back in ANBU.

So she did something with that hate. Training became less like a personal hell and more like a means to getting stronger. She held her hair down with pins and ties and wore clothing that stuck to her skin and blended into her surroundings.

Sakura took on solo only missions soon after, completing B-ranked missions easily and moving up to A-ranked ones within a few weeks. Despite the constant danger and fighting, Sakura had never felt more alive than she did now.

Returning from a two month long mission- one that required her to infiltrate a daimyo's harem and kill him in his sleep- she realized something within the first second of arriving.

Something's changed and she couldn't put a finger on it.

The Hokage Monument still held their stony faces high and proud. Genin hopefuls still ran around the streets with childlike innocence. Even Naruto is back, his usual radiant self a steady comfort.

It took another day for Sakura to realize that it wasn't the village that changed, but herself.


	5. Triumph

**5-Triumph**

 **Character: Ayame (AU)**

 **PART 1**

Heroes like Ichiraku Ayame had the ground they walked on praised and worshipped. Despite being only a year of age when the Third Shinobi War finally ended, her life was marked soon after with genius and general good luck.

Genin at the age of seven, number one rookie of the class male and female. Chuunin at eight when she was field promoted during the Kyuubi attack and used her kekkei genkai (the first emergence of one in her lineage) to filter and use any leftover chakra from the bijuu to help her fellow Leaf nin. She picked up numerous missions and completed them near flawlessly, gaining her jounin status easily at the age of eleven. Official documents may or may not affirm this but right after her thirteenth birthday Ayame was indoctrinated into ANBU, the girl joining only months after Itachi's defection and thus heralding her as a second coming of his prodigious legacy.

Her life was one that would spark envy in fellow comrades, jealousy in women at seeing her achieve so much (though many would hold it against Ayame for having a smaller than average chest), and fear from powers of outside forces because of her destructive potential. To counteract that Ayame always had an open personality (when not in ANBU or on a mission) and a warm almost sisterly kind of comfort about her, instantly endearing her to weary hearted veterans and aspiring ninja-to-be alike.

So imagine her surprise when she woke up one morning inside her father's house, the one connected to Teuchi's infamous Ichiraku Ramen downstairs. Ayame moved out when she came home as a chuunin all those years ago, finally ready to be independent and help her father with the income from her missions.

The first thing she did after getting out of bed was to go back to her apartment located on the west side of Konoha, only to see that the building was currently used as low-income housing for civilians with no ninja in sight. Tilting her head in confusion she immediately tried to break out from this horribly detailed genjutsu she must be under until the brunette had to shunshin away as three kunai sunk into the ground where she had been standing. Her flare of chakra must have frightened someone. Feeling even more panicked, but hiding it as skillfully as one expected of her profession, she readied herself to use a jutsu until a familiar bandana wearing tokujo came into sight.

"Genma! There's a genjutsu on me I think-" Ayame was unable to finish her sentence since strong arms locked her own behind her back, a flash of green in her peripherals.

"Who are you and why have you disguised yourself as Ichiraku Ayame?" Genma asked roughly, the senbon in his lips looking ready to shoot out at any sudden movements.

The brunette blinked with a carefully neutral face, taking in the words and dissecting it to fill in any gaps of her understanding of the situation. Genma didn't recognize her and if the vice-grip still on her by way of Gai's incredibly muscled arms proved anything, the spandex clad man didn't either. It was all very troubling and Ayame could feel a small headache creep its way up her nerves but she was a professional, a prodigy, a pinnacle of excellence, so she didn't freak out as she wanted to but instead took a deep breath.

"I am Ichiraku Ayame. I am a jounin of the Leaf, ID number 007900, class 14. If you do not want me to spill out any more confidential information of my person, or of the village, then take me to the Hokage." She replied with a steady voice, never once looking away from the tokujo's assessing glare.

"What reason do I have to believe you, Ayame," Genma sneers back but Ayame is much too used to the different torture and interrogation methods to fall for his goading.

"Why would we take a spy to the Hokage? It would be as stupid as bringing an assassin straight to the Daimyo."

The grip around her arms tightened imperceptibly and Ayame quells the urge to reassure Gai at least that she would never try to hurt him, "Shiranui Genma, ID number 010203, class 10. Likes to flirt almost as much as Jiraiya did, though only civilians fall for your antics these days. Maito Gai, ID number-"

Once again she is cut off with a loud yelp from the senbon wielder and a large hand placed over her mouth. With a swirl of leaves Ayame finds herself in a room with the Hokage.

"Hmm? What brings you three here?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asks kindly, seeing two of his ninja with Teuchi's lovely daughter.

"Hokage-sama," Genma steps up with a rigid back though the embarrassed flush on his cheeks lingered some.

"We have reason to believe that this Ichiraku Ayame may be an imposter. Though she has accurately given information on me and even provided proper ninja registration info on herself even though she is a civilian."

At this the young woman's mind raced. What was Genma talking about? She wasn't a civilian, no, far from it. That would have been like calling the legendary Namikaze Minato an average ninja.

"But I am not a civilian! Is this why you attacked me when I flared my chakra? I assure you that I thought I was in a genjutsu and wanted to break myself out of it. In fact, with the way you're all acting, I still think I'm in a genjutsu!" Ayame retorted back though Gai kept a firm grasp on her.

"Hokage-sama, I can feel Ayame-san's youthful sincerity. She definitely believes herself to be a ninja." Gai adds in with a serious tone, speaking up for the first time this morning.

Irritation started to well up in Ayame, "I don't think, I know I am. Hokage-sama, if you just give me the chance to I can prove myself and show you that I am a proud and true kunoichi of Konohagakure!"

This brought the four of them to the inside of a large room clearly used for practice if the burn marks, roughly filled holes, and beat up training dummies were any indication.

"I would like to place my trust in you Ayame-san," Hiruzen starts but his voice is slightly wary, hesitant to address the daughter of his long time friend.

"Teuchi has been a good friend and raised a fine daughter which is why I am allowing you this small chance to prove yourself, but if you are in fact an imposter and try to escape I will have to use force against you. "

Hiruzen keeps to himself that he will probably have Inoichi come in and go through her mind to see if any seals had been placed in her head to give her the absurd notion that she was a powerful ninja. Genma repeated to him that he had felt a large flare of powerful chakra from the girl which caught his attention at first but it was unbelievable to know it had come from a previously-believed to be civilian.

"Of course Hokage-sama." Ayame nodded her head in understanding before turning and raising her hands to her chest.

This was her one chance to clear her name peacefully, else she will have to fall back on contingency plans that involved a lot of fighting and running away. Ayame didn't want to hurt anyone, not from her village at least, and she certainly wouldn't use deadly force on her comrades but if her predicament does come to blows she'll have to work her way out of Konoha with a bit more effort than she is used to.

Focusing back on the present Ayame shook her head clear of her previous thoughts. She decided to use a jutsu that was not only powerful but also obscure, something that will completely prove that she has the strength and experience of someone of her caliber.

"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!" Immediately drawing upon nearly all her stores of chakra, Ayame slammed a bleeding thumb down to the ground with a force greater than one would expect of the petite woman.

At first there was no reaction although the three men in the room did feel the large wave of chakra that flushed out of Ayame. Then, as if a small earthquake was happening, the ground began to shake until a wooden coffin surged through the dirt and swung open. Inside was a man wearing the standard jounin vest of Konoha, his headband glinting as though it was brand new.

"H-Hayate?!" Genma cried out, baffled at the unreal sight in front of him.

"Gekkou-san, I'm sorry for resurrecting you like this." Ayame apologized, ignoring the incredulous looks from the other three.

"Ayame-san, I," Hayate looked conflicted, staring down his hands with a frown.

"I didn't expect to come back. I knew you were good but...you have this kind of technique in your arsenal, huh?"

Ayame gave a sad smile, "I'm sorry, Gekkou-san, but I brought you back because I think we're in a different world. Hokage-sama here, including Genma and Gai, think I'm a civilian."  
The brunette had the sinking feeling that if this wasn't a genjutsu then she's probably ended up in some kind of alternate world. It was a far fetched idea but she herself knows the kind of monumental power chakra and time-space jutsu (by way of reanimation techniques and body swapping) could inflict on unsuspecting victims. She's read the legends of the Sage and Six Paths to know that every story is based off some truth.

At this the frown on the reanimated man's face quirked up to an almost smile, "You? A civilian? You, who made jounin at eleven? That trained under Orochimaru of the Sannin before he defected?"

"Hold up! So you're telling me that Ayame wasn't lying?! Gods, you really might not be from this world." Genma sighed dramatically.

"Ahem, it appears that we have a special case on our hands," The Hokage cut in gravelly, his voice immediately commanding attention.

"Ichiraku Ayame, though you share the same traits and characteristics of our own, you may in fact be from a separate world from this one. You see, our version of you is simply a civilian; the daughter of Ichiraku Teuchi and a worker at his shop. Ayame never developed any kind of aptitude for the ninja arts and not once even shown interest in pursuing a career in one either. I hope you understand now why my ninja have attacked you and why you will be brought in for questioning at a later time."

Ayame held back a suffering groan. Great, she thinks, they believe she's not from this world but she still has to go see Ibiki them at T&I. At least she won't have to fight anyone...yet, that is.

All these thoughts of how much she should expose of her own world and how much she should expose of her own skill ran through the petite woman's head but what lingered at the forefront of her mind was what the Hokage said about this world's Ayame.

A civilian. Works at dad's shop. No interest in becoming a ninja. No real talent in the ninja arts to begin with.

For someone like her who was used to standing under the limelight, basking in the praise and envy of others, it was a shocking wake up call. Ayame had to fight down the disappointment she felt at not being the best as her luck and penchant for winning finally comes to an end.


	6. Feel

**6-Feel**

 **Pairing: Dan Kato/Tsunade**

When Dan died Tsunade felt a numbness wash through her.

Of course it began with grief and uncontrollable rage as one would feel when a lover dies but slowly, like the lights going out as Konoha went to sleep, the emptiness replaced all and left nothing. Tsunade's heart was a desolate place, not even her village could fill it because not once had she felt such loyalty towards Konoha to lay her life for, not like what her brother or lover once felt.

And so she left.

She took the bare necessities,- only money and not even a pair of extra clothes, they were all dirtied by the blood of the fallen anyways- woke up Shizune and left the village in the dead of night. Tsunade felt no remorse at coercing the child to come with her; Shizune had always looked up to her and the Senju heiress couldn't bear to be alone after all.

It wasn't all too hard to leave either. It took a simple shunshin (though the amount of chakra was one that befitted a Sannin) to get both out of the gates and before long Tsunade was moving them away, meter after meter. She felt empty then, too.

The following years were wasted on new found vices, money earned through gambling and then spent for alcohol. A vicious cycle that didn't help anybody, even if Tsunade deluded herself to believe that the adrenaline and tipsy high made her at least feel _something_. Shizune faithfully stayed by her side through the worst days and braved the blonde's careless attitude.

The best days were when Tsunade found what inner strength was left in her to smile at the young girl, a ghost of what the once grand woman was when Shizune's uncle was still alive. Sometimes the girl thinks that if something, or someone, like Nawaki and Dan comes along then maybe Tsunade will get better. They'll save the woman akin to a mother-figure to her and help her come back to herself.

Shizune hopes and hopes, Tsunade continues to be unfeeling but soon, perhaps as the new generation of ninja come to, the sodden wick can be reignited within the Senju's soul once again.


	7. Wrecked

**7-Wrecked**

 **Character: OC**

The typical story of a girl reborn into the Naruto world sets the stage for Nohara Futaba. Originally a serious yet compassionate person, she grew up in the Nohara clan with a mild detachment. She hardly smiled but showed gratitude to those who deserved it, a filial daughter, and something akin to a prodigy in the Academy.

In her graduating class, the two titans of their generation for male and female rookies were Uchiha Itachi and Nohara Futaba, respectively. The two never built a dramatic rivalry- imagine a Sharingan going against strength that mirrored that of Lady Tsunade's- to the disappointment of jeering crowds and petty bystanders. Instead the two found camaraderie in each other; like two pieces that did not fit any mold and so decided to mold itself into the other.

Futaba, as distant as ever towards most people, suddenly felt something ignite within her. With her knowing eyes and aged soul, it was an overwhelming relief to find someone who was so very much like her in knowledge, wisdom, and values. The two confided in the other things that they could not say to their friend and families. Personal feelings that were buried under obligation or self-preservation let loose like caged butterflies, spreading their wings and flourishing in the company of the other.

It was because Itachi was so important to Futaba that she could not let him bear the consequences of his future actions. She could not let him kill his family with his own hands, stain them and dirty them for all to see. She will not allow Itachi ( _dear, sweet Itachi_ ) to leave the village he loves so deeply and slowly kill himself as atonement for a crime he was forced to commit.

And so Futaba became the monster Itachi was supposed to be.

The Uchiha Massacre left two survivors that night: one Uchiha Itachi and one Uchiha Sasuke. With the help of Madara, who created a genjutsu to trap the clan in a haze of numbness, Futaba slaughtered everyone just as Itachi had done that night. Instead of a spinning pinwheel of red, the night was lit by the glowing green of a chakra scalpel.

Rumors of intent and excuses coursed throughout the village like wildfire the following week. Why did Nohara Futaba do this? She was a very unfeeling kind of girl after all, perhaps she finally snapped? And why were the clan heir and his brother spared? That monster did have a fondness for Itachi, didn't she? Was sparing their lives an act of kindness? Forgiveness? **Accountability**?

No one really knew besides the cesspit of lies and politics buried beneath the roots of the village. It would take countless missions of Itachi tracking the girl down- searching for an answer, for _anything_ \- until he could see the truth as it really is.

In their final battle against the other, after Itachi deals the killing blow into Futaba's slowly stilling heart, Itachi will open his eyes and see more than he ever has with the Sharingan. He will understand that Futaba took the choice of choosing the Uchiha or the village away from his already burden-slacked shoulders and made the choice herself. That she chose to become the monster, the villain, the martyr in his stead. Before she closed her eyes for the last time he asked her why. Why would she go such lengths for him?

And she will answer that he was the closest thing to love and affection that she's ever felt. She could not offer him anything else, nothing worthwhile at the least, other than her life and the sacrifice she made. With her last dying breath, she will cradle his cheek in her bloodied hand and thank him for being the only one, in either of her lives, to ever have understood her wholly and completely.


	8. Soft

**8-Soft**

 **Character: Gaara**

The desert is a hard place where very little survives. Only the most thorniest plants and venomous animals can thrive there because nature weeds out anything it deems weak. Gaara, for all that he is soft, human flesh, is anything but weak. That is why he flourishes, shoots up like a stalk between the cracked earth and rock.

The gourd strapped on his back reinforces his hardiness. Reinforces it like the Kazekage's duty to his village reinforces his father's disappointment. The villagers thought Gaara to be heartless. Caring for human life as a hunter cares for its prey (which it does very little). However, Gaara remembers every life he's taken, carves it into his soul like the mark on his forehead. Each grain of sand was akin to each life he's taken, constantly shifting and moving but always there. The sand is stored nearby, on his person always and thus each memory of life is kept near him as always.

In the beginning he was born surrounded by velvety softness. His mother's embrace as gentle as no other, only to squeeze him out and deny him; banishing the monster it once thought was its child. From then on, the creature that Gaara was, _is_ , grew spikes. A spike for each muttered curse. A spike at each disgusted glance. And the biggest spike, one that curled and pierced itself through Gaara's own heart, formed when his father and siblings' face became indistinguishable from the hatred painted on the villagers.

Yes, a cactus is not as beautiful as a rose. The snake not as innocent as the fawn, but what Gaara has is durability and sturdiness and that is something that not even the demon inside can take away.


End file.
